Is racism still an issue?
Bee Editorial
It's hard to believe that just five decades ago black people had to drink out of different water fountains, attend different schools and couldn't be served at certain restaurants because of the color of their skin.

After hearing the prejudices and adversity people like Eva Noles, the first black nurse trained in Buffalo, had to overcome just 50 years ago got us thinking - how much has society really changed?

Yes, blacks and whites now attend the same schools, eat at the same restaurants and drink out of the same water fountains, but many of those old stereotypes and prejudices still do exist today.

Maybe not to the same extreme as it was when civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks or Malcom X protested for equal rights, but it's still present in certain aspects of society.

How many people work in an environment where the majority is one race? How many private schools have a small percentage of students of a different ethnic background enrolled?

The mind set of certain people hasn't swayed too far from that of the 1950s and 1960s either. Many people choose their friends based on race. For example, last year area high school students were asked what the lunch room activity was like. Many said it was segregated by social cliques and then by race. Also, how many people can say their families still frown upon a black person and a white person engaging in marriage. It's not illegal, but it's not accepted with open arms by some people.

On the topic of marriage, the United States does not recognize gay people as having the ability to legally unite as a couple in the sanctity of marriage. How is this different than what the black race had to overcome just 50 years ago?

Although strides have been made to overcome such racism, there is still a long way to go before all men and women are thought of as equal. When will there be a time when the color of a person's skin doesn't predetermine what their character will be like? People like Eva Noles showed the world that people of all ethnicity and gender are capable of holding the same job titles.

A person's skin, gender, religion or sexual orientation should not come into consideration when applying for a job or college, and yet these issues are addressed on applications. You still have to check which box applies to you. When will these issues no longer matter? When will society accept every person as an individual and not categorize them into race, gender, religion and sexual orientation?